Some might call you a sissy for using gloves. I prefer chalk. I suggest you try chalk as it gives you a closer grip on the bar and prevents callous problems. If after trying chalk you decide you like gloves then use them. Also "New Skin" is great if you do tear a callous. Additionally get a pumice stone or a file or just scratch of the dead skin while you are in the shower. I think Beast Skills has a nice article about hand care.

Rips are common when you start doing a high volume of bar work. Take care of your hands, shave your callouses down. When you rip keep them moist and covered for a couple of days. Your hands will actually heal faster down the road a bit, and you'll rip far less often. Gloves aren't wussy, but they can compromise your grip.

I have been struggling with the same dilemma, with regard to wearing gloves. I have always worn gloves, but recently I have been finding that gloves seem to be more of a hindrance than a help (i.e., causing callouses mid-finger, where the bar pinches the end of the glove). However, like you, my problem is that my hands are getting quite sore doing pull ups, heavy DL, cleans, etc when I don't wear the gloves. So...I have decided to use the gloves, but less and less each workout (weaning myself off them, if you will), and I figure my hands will have no choice but to toughen up. I'm also hoping my grip strength will improve. My experiment seems to be working so far. Good luck!

Christine, I also want to go with bare hands rather than gloves. I want to increase my grip strength as much as possible and I also figure it will be a bit like playing the guitar. At first your fingers get as sore as hell from holding down chords, but after a while the fingers toughen up..

One of the el-cheapo oly bars I have has some tough knurling. I own a pair of the "harbinger" brand gloves with the fingers cut off (please don't kick me out of crossfit). Anyway, they work ok for tough knurling on bars but they sucked for pullups and heavy deads. It felt like a) I was gripping a much thicker bar, and b) a lot of strain was placed on my fingertips, as they were having to hold onto the bar much tighter for some reason. So they normally sit unused unless I am forced to use the tough-knurled bar for intermediate weights.

Anyone found any full gloves (e.g. with the fingers)? I've seen some American football players wearing gloves and they look pretty nice, might be an option for pullups. However I agree with the other posters, chalk and training are your best bet for the longer term. However, "manly" calluses rubbing on soft skin (e.g. wife/gf) can sometimes be a surprise (good or bad).

I file nowadays. The only real problem I encounter anymore is when I'm putting down high-rep deadlifts or cleans, and the slight bounce when it hits the ground makes the knurling rebound into the web of my thumb. There's a patch missing from last week's Elizabeth now.